Download THE END OF AN ERA

THE END OF AN ERA
Bell Work #5
If we could of brought adams and
carmens radio we might of heard the
kickoff at 330 pm
WOW
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Napoleon watched the battle for the Russian city
of Smolensk from a chair outside his tent. As
Napoleon watched the fires rage and heard the
screams of the enemy he said. “Don’t you think
this is a beautiful sight?”
“Horrible, Sire,” replied an aide.
“Bah!” snorted Napoleon. “Remember,
gentlemen, what a Roman emperor said: “The
corpse of an enemy always smells sweet.”
Soon, Napoleon campaign would eventually led
to his downfall. Napoleon’s final defeat brought
an end to the era of the French Revolution.
CHALLENGES TO NAPOLEON’S
EMPIRE
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Napoleon’s successes contained the seeds of
defeat. While nationalism spurred French armies
to success, it worked against them, too. Many
Europeans who welcomed the ideas of the
French Revolution nevertheless saw Napoleon’s
armies as foreign oppressors. The resented the
Continental System and Napoleon’s effort to
impose French culture.
From Rome to Madrid to the Netherlands,
nationalism unleashed revolts against France. In
the German states, leaders encouraged national
loyalty among German speaking people to
counter French influence.
RESISTANCE IN SPAIN
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Spanish patriots conducted a campaign of
guerrilla warfare, or hit and run raids,
against the French. Small bands
ambushed French supply trains or troops
before melting into the country side. These
attacks kept large numbers of French
soldiers tied down in Spain, when
Napoleon needed them elsewhere.
DEFEAT IN RUSSIA
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In 1812, Alexander I of Russia resigned form the
Continental System. Napoleon responded by
assembling his Grand Army. About 600,000
soldiers form France and other countries
invaded Russia.
To avoid battles with Napoleon, the Russians
retreated eastward, burning crops and villages
as they went. This “scorched earth” policy left
the French hungry and cold as winter came.
Napoleon entered Moscow in September. He
realized, though, that he could not feed and
supply his army through the long Russian winter.
In October, he turned homeward.
The 100,000 mile retreat form Moscow turned
into a desperate battle for survival.
DEFEAT IN RUSSIA
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Only about 100,000 soldiers of the once
proud Grand Army survived. Many died.
Others deserted. Napoleon himself rushed
back to Paris to raise a new force to
defend France. His reputation for success,
however, was shattered.
DOWNFALL OF NAPOLEON
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The disaster in Russia brought a new
alliance of Russia, Britain, Austria, and
Prussia against a weakened France. In
1813, they defeated Napoleon in the Battle
of the Nations at Leipzig. The next year, as
his enemies closed in on France.
Napoleon abdicated, or stepped down
from power. The victors exiled him to Elba,
and island in the Mediterranean. They
then recognized Louis XVIII, brother of
Louis XVI, as king of France.
NAPOLEON RETURNS
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The restoration of Louis XVIII did not go
smoothly. The Bourbon king agreed to accept
the Napoleonic Code and honor the land
settlements made during the revolution.
However, many émigrés rushed back to France
bent on revenge. An economic depression and
the fear of a return to the old regime helped
rekindle loyalty to Napoleon.
Napoleon escaped his island exile and returned
to France. Soldiers flocked to his banner. AS
citizens cheered Napoleon’s advance, Louis
XVIII fled. In March 1815, the emperor of the
French entered Paris in triumph.
Waterloo
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Napoleon’s triumph was short-lived. His star
soared for only 100 days, while the allies
reassembled their forces. On June 18, 1815, the
opposing armies met near the town of Waterloo
in Belgium. British forces under the Duke of
Wellington and Prussian army commanded by
General Blucher crushed the French in an
agonizing day-long battle. Once again,
Napoleon was forced to abdicate and go into
exile on St. Helena, a lonely island in the South
Atlantic. This time, he would never return.
NAPOLEON AND THE U.S.
Napoleon also, had a dramatic impact
across the Atlantic. In 1803, his decision to
sell France’s vast Louisiana Territory to the
American government doubled the size of
the United States and ushered in an age
of American expansion.
 Legitimacy, restoring hereditary
monarchies that the French Revolution or
Napoleon had unseated.
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THE CONGRESS OF VIENNA
After waterloo, diplomats and heads of
state again sat down at the Congress of
Vienna. They faced the monumental task
of restoring stability and order in Europe
after 25 years of war. The Congress meet
for 10 months, from Sept. 1814 to June
1815.
 The Chief goal of the Vienna decision
makers was to create a lasting peace by
establishing a balance of power and
protecting the system of monarchy.
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THE VIENNA SETTLEMENT
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Despite clashes and controversies, the
diplomats at Vienna finally worked out a
framework for peace. Their decisions set the
stage for European politics for the nest 100
years.
Balance of power- The peacemakers redrew the
map of Europe. To contain French ambitions,
they ringed France with strong countries. In the
north, they added Belgium and Luxembourg to
Holland to create the kingdom of the
Netherlands. To prevent French expansion
eastward, they gave Prussia lands along the
Rhine River. They also allowed Austria to
reassert control over northern Italy. This policy of
containment proved fairly successful in
maintaining the peace.
LOOKING AHEAD
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Many people inspired by revolutionary
ideals condemned the Vienna settlement.
Still, the general peace lasted for a
hundred years. Europe would not see war
on Napoleonic scale until 1914.